We have our good days and our bad days. Probably true for the majority of us, kid or no kid. And I am not going to sit over pretending it’s all rainbows and butterflies with three girls three and under. Luckily, having three kids has made me somewhat of a seasoned parent, even if they are all so young. I have learned. Yes, I have definitely “learned” so much within these few years!

THE TEETHING BABY: You would think after already having gone through this trivial period twice, it would get easier and I’d have an answer to make all the annoying pain go away. But no. Well at least it doesn’t for the babies going though it. Teething is no fun. We’ve done the amber necklaces, teething tabs, teething gel, the endless chew toys, chew necklaces, etc. all of which are very temporary reliefs for baby. And when I say temporary, I’m talking a few seconds, if you’re lucky maybe even a few minutes of relief. Followed by a drool-ey wet-chested annoyed baby.

What I’ve learned from my babies is that no matter how annoyed, you and your babe are, you will have to get through this period of teething. You and your baby will both get through this together. I promise. Also, thank goodness for all the above for temporary relief! So in the meantime just hand over all the teething goodness to your sweet babe and let her nom away. Some of my favorite go-to’s are of course from Nuby USA and Bumkins. (Happy Hands Teething Mit, Teething Trends Teething Necklace, IcyBite Keys Teether, Chamomile Soothing Tablets,  Teething Gel, and Drool Bib). Also some good ‘ol love and affection can’t hurt either.

THE TERRIBLE TWO-year old: She is wild. She is fierce. She is strong(willed). She is sassy beyond measures. But she is mine. With my first child, “two” was actually a wonderful year. It had it’s ups and downs, but mostly ups! It was the year she was able to start communication and reasoning. It was the year she really took in her “responsible big sister” role and carried it through. It was the year that my husband and I agreed we couldn’t have chosen a better kid to be our first. I didn’t quite understand what all the fuss about terrible two’s were with her. Rarely a sassy moment. And then we had the sassiest of them all as our second! Our talkative, and when I say “talkative” two year old, I really mean it! Tantrums galore! Whether it’s about how she wants her hair, what clothes she wants to wear, or even the food on her plate, she has something to say when she’s not getting her way. This girl can squeeze the saddest tears out anywhere anytime and she will milk it in public!

We call her our “Spicy P” or our “Salty P” depending on the type of sass she is giving at the moment. But through all the sass, the back talking, and terribly ridiculous one-liners, she is still our “Sweet P” and we couldn’t be happier with her. So here I am telling you once again, what I’ve learned. And what I have learned is that this is yet another phase you will get through. It’s the time to stand strong to the lessons you want to instill in her. She will test you. She is looking for that soft spot, but don’t surrender. You are the parent, not her.

THE THREENAGER: This is by far the hardest of the hard when it comes to parenting so far for us, and man, it scares me! They say it’s a like glimpse into the teenage years. I swear my palms are getting sweaty just thinking about this. Our big girl has been testing us beyond our limits in ways we never expected from her. I’ve learned from some that two’s and fours were way harder than the threes, but with how hard it’s been for us at three I am praying fours will be so much better. She hasn’t been acting out so much in public or anything like that, but she has been talking back, giving attitude, even crossing her arms  and stomping her feet at times of anger and frustration. Where she has learned this is beyond me, but man do I feel like doing the same at times.

But what I’ve learned so far from this is, beneath all that facade, there is still our wonderfully smart, adventurous, strong and responsible first-born. She likes responsibility. She likes to be held accountable. She likes to be praised for a job well-done. And she loves being a big sister and all that entails. So what I’ve done and continue to do is to remind myself of who she is. Harness all those positive traits and try really hard to not get frustrated about those “threenager” things, it is not what defines her.